Chapter 22
Hudson
Death.
Was there anyone on this planet who hadn’t thought about the day their life would end or had been forced to deal with the death of a loved one?
My life was no exception. For a few seconds, I’d thought I was going to die in the fire.
I’d had two regrets. One from years ago that I no longer had control over and the other being that I wouldn’t be able to protect the woman I cared deeply for.
Not that I’d done a very good job. I hadn’t anticipated that the fucker would use a bomb.
Hell, no. That had never been in his bag of tricks, which was the reason so far that the acting DA, with whom I’d spent an hour on the phone, had declined to associate the act of arson directly with Jacob Jones.
He was right of course. Unfortunately. Hell, I’d toss it out of my courtroom if presented. That didn’t mean I wasn’t furious that it appeared no one was taking the bomb seriously enough. Maybe that’s because another juror had died, only this time in a car accident.
All too convenient.
The hit list was never far from my mind. Maybe more than one assassin was being used to carry out the heinous acts if for no other reason than to expedite the timing.
I stood with a drink in my hand, keeping a constant eye on Valentina. She hadn’t bothered asking me if she could go outside on the deck. Denying her wouldn’t have worked. She was far too lost in thought, wrapped in thick blankets and fear and anger.
She’d barely said two words other than to thank Camille for taking care of her daughter in such a perfunctory way I hadn’t recognized her voice.
Camille had already heard about what had happened, even offering her help if needed. At some point, I might take her up on that.
Now, Valentina sat with a drink in her hand staring out at the ocean through the steel rope rails. From what I could tell from before I’d taken a shower, she hadn’t moved. Sitting in the dark staring at nothing.
At least I’d felt she was safe given I’d tasked one of the officers to canvass the beach.
Tomorrow I was taking her to that goddamn safehouse whether she agreed or not.
At least tonight there were two black and whites assigned to my house.
“I thought you’d be calling,” Chase said as soon as he answered the phone. His tone reflected my mood. “I guess someone had a rough night.”
“More than you know, buddy.”
“Jones?”
“He was there at the scene watching the building go up in flames. Fucking bastard. But the DA declined to bring him in for questioning until the forensics report on the fire is finished.”
“All those rules and regulations as required by the letter of the law. Is Valentina alright?” He wasn’t chiding me as much as he was the system.
“As you might imagine, she’s traumatized. She believed I’d died in the flames. She lost everything in the blast, but she’s unhurt other than a few scrapes.”
“Thank God for that, but I can tell by your voice you’re out for blood.”
“You’re right and I’ve changed my mind. That’s why I’m calling.”
My voice was strong, deep, and full of rage. I held the phone with a white-knuckled death grip. It was the only call I’d made tonight and it was the only one that mattered.
“On?” he asked. The man knew me too well. He’d heard me jabber on more than once that certain laws should change. He’d been amused at my creative methods of handling the worst of the worst. All five of us had laughed about it.
“The Undertaker. Fuck the law. He’s going to face my brand of justice and in the end, I plan on sending him on a one-way ticket to hell. If possible I’ll take down Worthington with him.”
He hesitated, his sigh an indication he’d already heard the news. Who the fuck hadn’t? Half the goddamn fire department had shown up, shutting down the street, refusing to allow anyone in or out. “Lofty goals, Hudson. I’ll make note.”
Make note. Chase certainly had it all figured out. Good for him. Meanwhile, I was now just formulating how I wanted to handle the fucking bastard. The entire scene had been a madhouse, but I’d felt Jacob’s presence. I’d caught sight of him just before he’d disappeared, using the melee to escape.
You bet I’d wanted to run after him, ending the hunt right now, but I’d refused to leave Valentina.
Seeing her face when I’d emerged from the burning building had stilled me.
I’d felt more emotions than I had in a very long time.
She’d run to me, collapsing in my arms, her racking sobs something I would not soon forget.
That’s the very moment I’d caught sight of Jacob.
He’d wanted me to see him. The bastard had been smiling.
“What are your next steps?” Chase asked, which was the same question I’d asked myself since returning to the house.
A black and white had been assigned for a twenty-four/seven duty.
Whether or not the intended victim had been Valentina or me, or both didn’t matter any longer.
Based on my police report alone, it was apparent someone had tried to exterminate a life.
Did their presence mean the attempts would stop? Of course not. The man was just revving his engine.
“I’m going to ensure that the Undertaker isn’t allowed to hurt anyone else.
Period. Whatever that takes I’m going to do.
” I could accomplish two goals in doing so.
One was to allow him to realize he’d crossed a line that couldn’t be undone.
The other was to provide assistance with the investigation into Delgado.
What was the term? Tit for tat? Or perhaps bad for good.
I was still an officer of the law. Just jaded.
Chase’s exhale was tinged with frustration. “You almost died tonight, buddy. I mean shit, you looked great on camera coming out of the building holding that puppy.”
“Great. That was caught on camera already?”
“Everything in our lives just might be caught on camera. Hey, you’ve already been labeled a hero. I’ll be surprised if the mayor doesn’t give you a medal or something. But there’s now no doubt you’re protecting Ms. Sciascia.”
“Then I need to get her out of here.” My body ached from the horrific explosion. I’d been lucky to find the puppy still on the ground floor, hiding inside the apartment the furthest away from the blast. If not, there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d be standing here.
“Agreed.”
“I hope you managed to jump start Raven Intel.”
His chuckle was pretense only. “You might be surprised what I’ve already established. Plus, I’ve been making some calls. What do you have in mind?”
“It’s time to lay out a course of action for removing Mr. Worthington from office. It would be helpful to learn about his lifestyle. Bank accounts. Houses he owns. Friends. You get the drill.”
“Let me guess. You want it pronto.”
“The sooner the better.”
“You’re going to be a tough taskmaster. Aren’t you?”
Now I laughed. “I didn’t realize I’d been placed in charge.”
“Just for this mission, buddy. Just this one.”
Chase had a way of making me smile. At least someone could.
However, my entire body remained tense, I took a sip of my drink. In trying to think about what I could say to her, I’d come up with nothing that would put her mind at ease. This would be her home until something could be worked out, but that wouldn’t change what she’d seen or experienced.
“Another one of Delgado’s enemies, a bad dude who I don’t mind telling you got what he deserved was found washed up on the beach. Some guy from a restaurant found him. Or I should say parts of him.”
“Same method as our boy the Undertaker.”
“Word on the street is that he’s paving the road for the shipment coming in.”
At least I could laugh. “You mean competition.”
“Well, there are cartels in and around Miami considered more favorable to the Colombians. Nothing for you to worry about. That doesn’t lessen the danger. The entire DEA is on high alert with additional violence anticipated.”
“We shall see. Will the safehouse be available tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. The place is a little rough around the edges, but we can make it work,” Chase said. “I’ll send you details. Do you need them tonight?”
“Whenever. I’ll be offline for a while. We’re protected for tonight.”
“Just say the word and you’ll have additional security when needed. Offline because of the guest in your house? I hope you’re not planning on acting on your plan tonight.”
“The plan will wait until in the morning. Even I realize I need to play this very carefully. Valentina needs reassurance everything will be alright.” Maybe we both did.
“Understandable. One last thing. Gabriel called since you were busy. Would you believe James Worthington is having a press conference tomorrow?”
“The subject matter?”
“Our friend Jacob Jones. It would seem his office had been barraged with complaints and questions. I assume he wants to put them to rest. Gabe mentioned it came out of the blue.”
“Well, the man does enjoy grandstanding. Maybe he’s doing so because I’ve made the rounds with those very questions about what the fuck had happened.”
“Be careful getting further on his radar, buddy,” Chase warned. “You know what happens when men like Worthington are backed into a corner.”
“That’s exactly what I intend on doing. Maybe I’ll need to make an appearance at this press conference.”
“Yes, indeed. You do love playing with fire. I like this side of you. Just be careful.”
I had no intention of playing it careful any longer. I owed that to Valentina. Hell, to Camille and maybe to myself.
With the call ended, I tossed the phone aside, moving toward the set of sliding doors that was already open.
Another storm had popped up out of nowhere, which was typical for this time of year.
With the lightning dancing across the ocean waters several miles away, the display appeared as a crisscross of fireworks.
Only the noise was brought by the waves crashing against the shore.
“Another storm is coming,” she said as I sat down in a chair near her. “I can feel rain in the air.”
“I know. Just another day in the Miami heat.”